How long is your commute?

garrath

I'm interested in hearing how far people commute to work/college on the bike (just commuting, no cycling for sport or fitness or anything). Also, how long it takes them and any major issues about the route.

I cycle from Tallaght to UCD almost daily. Tallaght->Firhouse->Rathfarnham->Nutgrove->Dundrum->UCD. Takes 35-45mins depending on how fit I'm feeling. Its about 14km out there, so about 28km roundtrip.

What really annoys me about the route is the amount of cars parked in the cycle lane. It ridiculous; cars parked day and night, usually I pass more than 5 just getting out there (and they're all parked on cycle lanes with a continuous white line, esp. on Nutgrove Avenue!). Also, boy racers in Tallaght are a menace. Many, many more things I could complain about, but they are the main things.

So, tell me about your route.

[EDIT] Ooops, meant the poll to say roundtrip (so how far you travel there and back).

garrath

Actually, I just noticed there was a similar thread posted in March (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054904987&highlight=route), but actually, it might be interesting to see how much further people cycling in the summer (and there's no pole). So please vote!!

beans

My commute takes me through Ballyfermot, up the Kylemore Rd, right up the Naas Rd up to Ballymount. It's around 14/15K round trip

The only hairy thing about it is the final stretch up the Naas Rd. When the traffic is moving you're continuously being buzzed by lorries and cars; when the traffic is jammed you're cycling through a soup of fumes! Lots of glass, nails and assorted sharps on the road, and occasional clumps of dried cement for texture. Sure it's only mighty

A cycle-route on the Naas Rd is needed methinks. It's not a good corridor to have cyclists sharing with motorists, and there's plenty of room. Must send someone a letter...

racso1975

Fenagh to Carlow town 16km ew so 32km round trip

ciaran76

Mine is Clonee to Swords. According to the DTO website its 19kms each way.
The worst bit is the Kilshane road as its full of pot holes and lorries.

Would be great if the road was a bit wider or a better route to Swords but its seems to me the only way. I don't cycle in the winter months because I am too nervous of someone not seeing me on this this road even with all the lights and reflective gear on and also not too pushed on cycling in the cold

t5pwr

I have about a 50km round trip. Length of time depends on a lot of things like traffic, lights and wind. Wind it probably the biggest factor. Usually takes between 50mins and 70mins.

I do this cycle hail, rain or shine. Although I have a car and could pop down the M50 but I just can't put up with the traffic in this city. Grrrr!!! On the bike I am almost always on the move and getting fit at the same time

Bad cycle lanes are my problem as they are quite bumpy so I use a mountain bike with slick tyres. I have seen guys on race bikes and they have to use the road because of this.

Ghost Rider

My commute is between Phibsboro and Ranelagh i.e. about 5km each way, I reckon.

I have to go right through the middle of town. The upside of cycling through the city centre is that the traffic is so heavy, the cars rarely move fast enough to pose much of a threat. The downside of it is that much of this traffic wouldn't have to be doing more than 0.1kmph to crush you to a bloody pulp (e.g. HGVs).

The most objectionable aspect of my commute, though, is the prevalence of that very Irish safety feature, the optional cycle track (as designated by a broken white lane). Particularly dangerous is the one that goes over Leeson Street bridge. Motorists routinely use it as part of an imaginary left-turn lane.

beans

Ghost Rider wrote:

upside of cycling through the city centre is that the traffic is so heavy, the cars rarely move fast enough to pose much of a threat.

This can be dangerous too, given doors opening and whatnot. I creased myself yesterday into the passenger-door of a car that turned left without indicating pulling away from a green light, straight into my path. Ouch :mad:

daymobrew

28km. Coolmine to East Point Business Park.
Route: Laurel Lodge, ped bridge over M50, Navan Road, Phibsborough, Whitworth Rd, Clonliffe Road, East Wall Road.
I really like the (compulsory) cycle track on the Navan Road eastbound because I have a (generally empty) bus lane to my right. I can get close to 30mph on it on a good day (Specialized Rockhopper with slicks).
The wind can be a pain especially when it's coming from the west - my cycle home (westbound) is uphill from work.

For glass I contact Fingal or Dublin City Council. I have the phone numbers of the appropriate depots (they are not secrets) and they generally clean the stuff up within 24 hours.

For bad drivers I report them to the Gardai. I was in Blanch and Cabra Garda stations this morning reporting people. I got a phone call last night as a follow up from a report I made a few weeks ago. I've been too tolerant for far too long.
For parking in the compulsory cycle tracks - 1 penalty point. Get onto the Gardai.
Don't forget to obey lights and other traffic laws.

Ghost Rider

You had to go to two different Garda stations to report people? That's completely unacceptable. It should be much easier than that to report people. Whatever happened to that hotline you could use to call and report drivers on the spot? I think the idea was that the nearest Garda would respond to the problem immediately. Does that even still exist?

(Mind you, I despair of the Gardai. I got blindsided and decked by a random scumbag on Georges' Street two years ago and the police never even rang me back, much less showed up to do anything about it.)

daymobrew wrote:

For bad drivers I report them to the Gardai. I was in Blanch and Cabra Garda stations this morning reporting people. I got a phone call last night as a follow up from a report I made a few weeks ago. I've been too tolerant for far too long.
For parking in the compulsory cycle tracks - 1 penalty point. Get onto the Gardai.
Don't forget to obey lights and other traffic laws.

garrath

daymobrew wrote:

For parking in the compulsory cycle tracks - 1 penalty point. Get onto the Gardai.

I was aware that parking in the cycle lane (on a continuous white line) was a point on the drivers licence, but have you or anyone else had success in getting the Gardai to do anything about it? From what I have heard, they don't seem that interested in bad parking. Maybe if I keep calling them everytime I see this, they'll get tired of me calling and do something about it!

daymobrew

Ghost Rider wrote:

You had to go to two different Garda stations to report people?
....
Whatever happened to that hotline you could use to call and report drivers on the spot?

The offences occurred in different areas. As inconvenient as it is, I know that this is how it works and go with it. I would love to be able to report these things via a web form (maybe have a login that was approved after a ID check at a station). Incorporate Google Maps to show a location...

The TrafficWatch line still exists (1890 205-805) but there are a lot of complaints about it, especially in Irish Times letters page in the last few days. My only experience of it a few years ago was poor (took 3 months to get back to me) so I never used it again.

garrath wrote:

I was aware that parking in the cycle lane (on a continuous white line) was a point on the drivers licence, but have you or anyone else had success in getting the Gardai to do anything about it?

Last week I was in Cabra station to report such a situation. The Garda was very helpful. He said he'd send a car up that evening (they were only parked there in the evening). If the car wasn't there he said he'd have a word with the owner to remind them of the rules wrt cycle tracks with solid white lines.
Persistence is probably a good tactic. Note the shoulder number/name of the Garda who you talk to.

Alkers

Three days a week I'm about 2.5km round trip Dundrum to ucd. Can leave my house and be sitting in a lecture theater 7minutes later if I push it. The other two days I'm in town, (Earlsfort Terrace), not sure how far maybe 5-6km. I'm faster than the LUAS but I can't remember how long it takes. Only gripe is the cycle track in Rathmines. It is a nightmare. Traffic is normally stopped and the amount of people who step off the path thinking it's safe or walkout onto the cycle track from between cars is unreal, I end up shouting at at least three people every morning.

garrath

Simona1986 wrote:

...I'm faster than the LUAS but I can't remember how long it takes...

Takes me over an hour to get in from Tallaght if I take a combination of the LUAS and busses, hour and a half if traffic is bad or bus is late. 20-30 mins in the car depending on traffic. Was sick a while ago and I had to get LUAS/bus in and out of college. Its a real PITA! Even putting the travelling time aside, the effort of waiting for them to arrive, standing in rush hour, putting up with scumbags smelling of dope, people smoking on the bus, people having extremely loud conversations on the mobile, people whose earphones are so loud I don't understand how they don't have hearing damage (or maybe they do and just keep turning it louder?). Also, a bike journey is more or less door to door, where you have to walk to and from a bus/LUAS. Enough ranting, in short: I love my bike.

Raam

mine mostly brings me along the coast bike lane on the north side of Dublin Bay.

Generally incident free

edit: I voted 10 - 20km, but cos' it's round trip, it should be 20-30km

markpb

Mine is fairly short compared to most - Coolock to Clontarf which according to the Google Maps Pedometer is just shy of 6k. It's also a fairly easy cycle, quiet roads all the way to the Malahide road. The school on Clontarf Road with it's line of parent-taxis parked on the cycle lane is the only awkward part.

For a short time I had to cycle to Baggot street, through O'Connell st and royally hated it :mad:

Civilian_Target

Dunno my exact length of commute but it's basicly Coolmine to Clonee - which is about 5 miles each way I think, I said 5-10km because I didn't realise it was a round trip you wanted. It's a great cycle - plenty of open road, a good cycle lane, only one set of lights, not too much traffic. Takes 20 mins or so.

Used to commute Ranelagh to Clonee - that was impossible, a right pain at 20km across the city, and I found the most annoying thing to be the bad road surface on the Cabra Road - it's shocking and kept causing bits to fall off my bike and out of my bag!

RainyDay

Ballinteer to Donnybrook - about 7k - not as hilly going home as I was expecting.

I agree with daymobrew's strategy of reporting offenders to the gardai. The bane of my life is the narrow, single lane, one-way stretch at Richmond Hill South (from Milltown Luas station to Milltown Road). It is one-way up only, so there should be no traffic (cyclists or cars) coming down the hill. During morning rush hour, only cyclists are allowed up, so it is probably the one bit of space in Dublin where I should be safe from cars.

But about 1 day a week, I meet a car coming the wrong way down the one-way towards me, and the road is so narrow, I have nowhere to go. My current routine is to stop in front of the car, and mouth wildly at them until they get out or stick their head out the window, then I let rip. When they claim they were lost and didn't see the 1-way sign, I invite them to back up and I'll show them the way out, but funnily enough, no-one has taken up my offer yet. So I snap their reg with my mobile phone (the hot-headed French girl started crying when I did this last week). Maybe I should take face shots as well!

I'm hoping that if I become a real pain to the Gardai in Rathmines, they might station somebody on the stretch for a few mornings to break the habit of these chancers.

Drapper

CArpenters Town to City Centre

7 miles

TempestSabre

Drapper wrote:

CArpenters Town to City Centre

7 miles

Hey you're cycling now, how is that working out for you.

Drapper

TempestSabre wrote:

Hey you're cycling now, how is that working out for you.

not bad, been at it 2.5 months now and I'm getting used to it! its a nice cycle in! you should try it out!

TempestSabre

Drapper wrote:

not bad, been at it 2.5 months now and I'm getting used to it! its a nice cycle in! you should try it out!

Got all my gear together to do it then injured myself playing footie. Going to start again in a few few weeks.

Drapper

well let me know we can knock in together! the winter will be the main aim to get through! Its great in the nice weather!

Funsterdelux

Mine is around 20kms(13miles) each way, 45-55mins each way, Glasnevin to Donabate, its grand coz Im going against the traffic, only started this week though. Its faster than taking the train/bus, ha, so Im saving time, saving money, and getting exercise.

It's a win win win situation.

Drapper

thats a good cycle mate! many lanes?

Funsterdelux

theres a few out as far as the airport, but a lot of them go up on the footpath, which is not great in places, past the airport its nearly all dual carriageways and roundabouts by-passing Swords not too bad, the worst part is the the Donabate road, narrow as ****.

daymobrew

Funsterdelux wrote:

It's a win win win situation.

Except you don't get to see the stunning woman on the train
Maybe get the train from Drumcondra to Connolly to Donabate once or twice...

Funsterdelux

daymobrew wrote:

Except you don't get to see the stunning woman on the train
Maybe get the train from Drumcondra to Connolly to Donabate once or twice...

I know where your coming from, but theres slim-pickens on the train to donabate.

Gavin

14 km or so each way from Dundrum to Ballymun.

Dundrum, Clonskeagh, Ranelagh, Camden st, Georges st, Dame st, Westmoreland st, O connell st, parnell st, nth grt georges st, mountjoy square, dorset st, collins avenu, dcu.

I quite like the cycle, I like going through the city, it's a bit of a challenge. There are cycle lanes all of the route, except for the city center, but I'm so used to it at this stage, it's not a problem.

Georges st is probably the biggest hassle with people stepping onto the cycle lane without looking.

Another thing I've noticed lately is that oncoming cars turning to my left don't seem to see me. They start turning into their right, crossing my lane. I've had to jam on the brakes a number of times, quite annoying.

Gav

garrath

Verb wrote:

Another thing I've noticed lately is that oncoming cars turning to my left don't seem to see me. They start turning into their right, crossing my lane. I've had to jam on the brakes a number of times, quite annoying.

I used to find that as well. I usually cycle a reasonable distance from the kerb, but in some situations I would cycle even farther out from the kerb. it makes cars wanting to pass you have to make a more definite overtaking manoeuvre and cars turning left will definitely see you. They won't overtake you to make a left hand turn.

Its good advice in a lot of situations really. My rule is that if I don't think a car can safely overtake me, then put myself far enough away from the kerb that the car has to be more definite when overtaking me (i.e. has to pull out more, as if passing a car). Then, when there is a part of the road safe enough for the car to overtake, I pull in slightly.

Actually, just wrote that and realised you were talking about oncoming traffic. In that situation I usually do not stop or slow down or give any indication to the car that I am going to let him/her turn. I've found that kind of hesitation (where you slow down to make sure the car is not going to turn in front of you) is usually interpreted as an invitation for the car to go ahead. It can lead to silly situations where you slow down wondering if the car will proceed, then the car makes a tentative move forward but stops, and neither of you know what to do without a lot of head nodidng or gesticulation. So I usually don't slow down. However, do make eye contact and obviously be in a position to brake hard if the driver does decide to go ahead.

Part of the experience of cycling in the city is learning when to exercise your right of way and when to give way to bad driving.

daymobrew

garrath wrote:

Part of the experience of cycling in the city is learning when to exercise your right of way and when to give way to bad driving.

Very wise words that I totally agree with!
Too often people (drivers/cyclists/pedestrians) insist on their right of way or road space and refuse to compromise. I will clearly criticise a driver for dangerous behaviour but I will try to acknowledge, with a little wave, when they've consciously and obviously done something for me (e.g moved right a few feet in a traffic jam). I hope that it encourages more pro-cyclist awareness in the future.